Coin-drawer for vending-machines.



No. 723,776. 7 v

I PATENTED MAR.24,1903. I G.L.HURD. 00m DRAWER FOR VENDING MACHINES.

APPLICATION I ILED JULY 21, 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1..

1m MODEL.

' No. 723,776; PATENTBD MAR. 24, 1903. Y c. L. HURD.

I v00m DRAWER FOR VENDING MACHINES.

UNrTE D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES L. HURD, OF CHELSEA, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR ONE-HALF TO NELLIE F. SMITH, OF CHELSEA, MASSACHUSETTS.

COIN-DRAWER FOR VENDING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent N o. 723,776,dated March 24, 1903.

Application filed July 21, 1902.

T at whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES L. HURD, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chelsea, in the county of Sutfolk, State of Massachusetts,haveinventedcertainnewanduseful Improvements in Coin-Drawers for Vending-Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of this invention is the construc- IO tion of a coin-receiver for coin-operated machines which shall be incapable of being relieved of its contents except after the removal of the door by which the machine is resupplied with the articles which it is designed to vend.

Referring to the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure l is a side sectional elevation of a vending-machine supplied with my invention, the latter being shown as discharging its contents. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of my coin drawer, showing certain parts of the vending-machine relating thereto.

Fig. 3 represents plan and side views of a screw-eye used therein. 7

The vending-machine case to which my invention is applied is designated by the reference-numeral 1.

2 is the slide which receives the designated coin, carries it within the case, and simultaneously discharges -the article purchased. The articles are contained in the chutes 3 and are one by one discharged into the deliverypassage 4, down whose inclined bottom they slide to its open outer end, where'they can be grasped by the purchaser. As shown in Fig. 1, the roof of the lower part of said passage is made to compose a shelf 7, upon which I 10- cate my coin-drawer, the arrangement of said shelf and the dimensions of the drawer being such that the latter is located,closel y beneath the slides 2, and so adapted to receive the coins therefrom as each slide is operated. The bottom is not placed at the lower edges of the sides 11, but extends obliquely from their front upper corners to their rear lower corners, such bottom 12 terminating in a trapdoor 14, constructed to swing, freely down when not supported upon the shelf 7. The

sides of this drawer being preferably formed from sheet metal, as tin, I thicken the free edge of the trap-door 14 by folding the metal Serial No. 116,327. (No model.)

over upon itself, so that it is somewhat triangular in cross-section. Inthis manner the upper surface of the trap-dooris raised above the lower edge of the drawer rear wall13 sufficiently to insure that no coin shall slip be tween said parts, and so be 19st from the drawer. This safetyof the coins is still further insured by means of the L-shaped strip of metal 18, soldered to the-inner face of the rear wall 13 to constitute ashoulder or bead overhanging the edge of the trap-door, Whereby no coin is permitted to slip vertically down between said wall and edge. Midway of the width of the drawer is secureda strip 25, containing an opening or slot 26, designed to receive the end of the arm 22. This arm is a part of the wire rod 20, rotatable in bearings 23 24; and actuated by tlfe shorter arm 21 at its upper end. By removing the case-door 5 7c and pressing the short arm 21 inward the longer arm throws the coin-drawer back until its trap-door 14 is beyond the rear edge of the shelf 7. Consequently the said trap-door insta'ntly opens and the contents of the drawer fall into the passage 4, where they roll and slide down and forward to the open mouth of said passage and canbe easily removed therefrom. The coin-drawer being thus emptied, the short arm is drawn forward and the drawer thereby brought wholly back upon the shelf 7,

this action closing the trap-door and putting the drawer again into condition to retain the coins entering it from the slides.

To prevent the coin-drawer from being jarred backward inany way, and so deliver its contents to unwarranted persons, or from be: ing in any other way unlawfully opened, as by a bent wire introduced through the passage 4 or tipping the case backward, I fix a block 6 to the under edge of the door 5 or of a board forming part thereof, which block is arranged to come directly behind the short arm 21 when the coin-drawer is in its normal position. Hence when ;the proper person 5 comes to refill the chutes of the vending-machine and removes the door 5 for this purpose the coin-drawer is thereby rendered capable of being opened, and the act ofopening the same is nothing but a slight push upon the ICC short arm 21. When he returns the door 5 to its place after having filled the chutes, in case he has forgotten to bring the coin-drawer back to its normal position the arm 21 interferes with the block 6, and so prevents the doors return until after the draweris in place.

I prefer to provide the upper edges of the rear and sides of the drawer with overhanging edge strips 16 17 for the purpose of preventing the contents of the drawer from being discharged by tipping the vending-machine upon its back or side. I prefer also to use screw-eyes for the bearings of the rod 20 and have the upper one 24 partially open for the purpose of enabling the parts to be easily put in place without subsequent bending of the Wire rod. In doing this I first locate the coin-drawer upon the shelf 7, the slide mechanism being out of the way, and then put the long arm 22 through the screw-eye 23, the coin-drawer being slid back for the purpose. The extremity of said artn being inserted in the opening 26, the vertical part of the wire rod is brought up into engagement with the screw-eye 24. To thus have the upper screweye partially open and yet capable of securely retaining the rod 20, I construct it as shown more clearly in Fig. 3, where 0 illustrates the same in plan and b in side view. Looking down on the screw-eye the eye appears perfectly circular; but the side View shows that the end of the Wire eye is bent up out of the plane of the circle far enough to form room for the entrance of the rod. Hence when the screw-eye 2-t is first inserted in the case it is left with the plane of the eye substantially vertical. Then when the rod is inserted through its opening the eye is turned to substantially -a horizontal plane, and thereby locks the rod machine and case therefor having a delivery" passage permanently open at its lower end, of a shelf located immediately over the lower part of said passage and open thereto at its rear edge but wholly closed at its front, a drawer slidable on said shelf and having an opening in its bottom, and means located within the case and normally inaccesible, for sliding the drawer rearward and depositing its contained coinsintosaid delivery-passage, substantially as described.

2. In a coin-drawer for vending-machines, the combination with the case having the delivery-passage and the door for giving access to the article-chutes, of a coin-drawer constructed to have its contents discharged into said passage, and means controlled by said doorwhen closed to lock said coin-drawer from being made to discharge its contents into said passage, substantially as described.

3. In a coin-drawer, the combination with the case having the delivery-passage and the supporting-shelf immediately above the latter, of the coin-drawer slidable on said shelf and having the trap-door in its bottom normally supported by said shelf, and the vertical rod revolubly supported by said case and having the arms projecting from its ends, the lower one of which engages the coin-drawer and serves to move it partially on and off said shelf, substantially as described.

4. In a coin-drawer, the combination with the case having the delivery-passage and the supporting-shelf immediately above the latter, of the coin-drawer slidable on said shelf and having the trap-door in its bottom, the vertical rod revolubly supported by the case and havingthe arms projecting from its ends, the lower one of which engages said drawer, and the case-door having a projection constructed to come behind the upper of said two arms when such door is in place and thereby lock the coin-drawer against movement, substantially as described.

5. In a coin-drawer, the combination with the case having the delivery-passage and the supporting-shelf immediately above the latter, of the coin-drawer slidable on said shelf and consisting of the rear and side walls and the rearwardly-slanting bottom terminating in the trap-door, the central strip fixed in said drawer and having the opening therein, the vertical rod terminatingin the arms the lower one of which enters said opening, and the two screw-eyes fixed in the case and revolubly supporting said rod, the upper of said screw-eyes being partially open for receiving the rod, substantially as described.

6. In a coin-drawer, the combination with the case having the delivery-passage and the supporting-shelf immediately over the latter, of the coin-drawer slidable on said shelf and consisting of the sheetmetal rear and side walls and the slanting bottom, the doubled trap-door hinged to said bottom,and the shoulder or head fixed to the rear wall, snbstantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing invention I have hereunto set my hand this 17th day of July, 1902.

CHARLES L. IIURD.

XVitnesses:

A. B. UPI-1AM, FRANK A. SMITH. 

